Road grader



vJuly 10, 1928.

. H. R. WLSON ET AL RO'AD GRAQER Filed Sept. 22, 1926 4 sheets-sheet 1 j -lg 5j z/wmm HT RN www@ July l0, 1928.

H. R. WILSON ET AL ROAD GRADER Filed Sept. 22, 1926 4 sheets-sheet 2 m Q A @@:gmwmm: Q p

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H. R. WILSON El' AL ROAD GRADER Filed sept. 22. 1926 4 sheets-sheet 4 l@ 14. .28 v 58 JM 54 I l?, 1.50 M0 |A| summum JNVEJE Qms, 34Min l fw! -WMW Patented July l0, 1928.

nonnen n. WILSON AND FRED D, WILSON, 'on HARVEY, InLINoIs.

ROAD GRAinnn. f y

Appiicmn sied september 22, ieee.` serial` No.137,143.

This invention relates particularly to that class of wheeled road graders provided With tiltable supporting and steering wheels and a diagonally disposed, laterally shiftable, moldboard or blade, working in conjunction therewith for the general purpose of grading roads and making or cleaning out ditches at the side thereof. n In bulldmg a new road, recrowning an old one, or cleaning vthe ditches at the side there-l of, it is always necessary, with the type of grader to which we refer, for the material of which'the road is made to be taken from the side and deposited in the approximate center in order that proper vdrainage may result and this, of course, involves'the movement of the material in a lateral direction relative to the travel ofthe machine.

This is accomplished, generally speaking,

yby ladjusting' the moldboard to an angle,

suitable to the particular condition, with one end in advance of the other, the material, as loosened', being moved along the face and allowed to discharge off the rear end, at the same time being transferred toward the midvdle or crown ofthe road a. distance in proportion to the angle and length of the blade n and obviously Athe resistance and friction of the material against the blade is also in pro-4 portion tothe angle'and vlength of same taken in connectionwith thcramount'and rendit-ion of the material,

This uncertain and sometimesA relativelyl great 'side thrustmust, of course, be vvsuccessfully resisted by the machine as a whole if a specified course is to be maintained and this is most successfully accomplished by leaning the rear supporting wheels toward the discharge end of tho'bl'a-de, rthereby presentingwa greater proportion of the tire faces in the direction of thethrust, and it-is well known to those informed lthat the leaning of these wheels must be, as near as possj1- ble, in proportion to the side Vthrust developed,`as otherwise, should they be allowed to, remain inthe maximum tilted position and, for instance, thev bladeslightly raised, or for any other reason, the side thrust be reducedth'e course of ther wheels, 'together with the delivery end of the blade, will be immediately` changed 'in proportion" to the thrustreduction and they will run toward the center of the road' resulting in very un even and unsatisfactory work.

In other words, thel rear supporting wheels tilted to a given angle'` to the left, take a.

course'to the leftof the forward untilted wheels, with vthe bladel idle, and do not fol,-

low directly behind the forward wheels, and i r obviously, when the blade is lowered to an Yoperating position `delivering to theV left` they will successfully resist only the amount of side thrust of material necessary tocause their return to a position directly'in line with'fthe forward wheels and should the blade be rpushed deeper.l into thel road, and

the side thrust on same thereby be lin- 'creased,or.withdrawn andthe side thrust i reduced, the wheels must be tilted ,more andl Y less respectively7 inv order that a straight vand pleasing delivery may result. It is worthy of note that it is not l'alwaysnecessary to tilt all the wheels because of the fact that where `tractors are used to drawA the lmachine the tractor is positioned near the center ofthe road and alconnecting cable, .l

4of, suilicient length tofpermitvthe grader to work Vinthe ditch, counteracts, to a great extent, ybecause of the" angle of draft, the

side thrust of the material at the frontend of themachine. f 1

However, 1t Vis understood that when drawsol ing the grader directly behind the tractor,

as inr smoothing the roadcrown, the grader isrthen unasslsted'by the draft lcable and must depend entirelv upon its own devices vfor resisting this thrust.

From the foregoing it is to be'understood Y' to 'the vertical, but. that lit is not always necessary to operate allthe wheels in a tilted y position one 4timeor to even operate the road grader is' subjected but it is always'dei' sirable tor operate the rear pair in a tilted Athat all the wheels may' be tiltable, relative position and the angle of tilt should be,l as

`heretofore explained, just v4sufficient' to counvtcract the before#mentioned side" thrust,

which obviously,"must be easily changeable because of the very irregular nature' of the work done, and when no'fwork is beingdone f by lthe blade event-he rear wheels must be quicklyrightedl if seriousdamage to their ybearings is to be avoided.

should be remeinberedI that kthe strain i on the wheel bearings is just as variable as the work at the blade and in fact continues oven after the blade has been lifted to an inoperative position and the importance, freni this standpoint,`of causing co-action between the movement ofthe blade'and the movement of the wheels is great, inasmuch as when in operation the weight of the bladeV and associated parts is removed Lfrom these` bearings and placed on the ground and a serious thrust is changed from a downward to av A lateral one very suddenly, andv if the wheels l struction "of the ends' of arenot properly tilted causes the early dethe wheel liubs.-k lVe arey acquainted with the fact that road gradingmachines equipped with tiltable lwheels are old in ytheart and that the beforementioned peculiaritiesof this type of machine are common knowledge to. all those associated with them asis' borne out by the fact; that all. popularmachines now on the marketprovide ladjustment for shifting the Jiu ` wheels on their-axles in one direction whenv fthe blade is shifted in the opposite direcbladeaiid for tilting the wheels, these adfor the working parts of the machine, so

nearly maintaining ythe maximum `efliciency thereof, or accomplishing as desirable results, with reference to. the quality of work done, as withy our machine.

The main object of this inventionA is* the construction of al road 1 gi'ading machine wherein the side. thrust of vthe material against the blade sets in operation mechanisniy automatically resisting such thrust.

Another object of this invention is the provision of means tilting they carrying Another object ythe construction of a bladev shifting mechanism permitting both manual and automatic operation.

Still another Objectis the provision of means'automatically straightening the rear wheels, when the yblade is raised to anl noperative position. u l

vOne other object is the constructionjof a grader having tiltable wheels and means for automatically tilting them.

.And yet another object is the construe# tion of a grader provided with automatically tiltable Awheels vin combinationy with' a blade shifting device adapted for actuation bv both manual and power operated means.

i. With` the above and various other objects in view, the present invention consists in the combination'and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described,r illustrated in theL accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed` out lin `the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, size proportion,

and even method of obtaining these objects,

without departing from the spirit or sacricin'g any ofthe advantages of the invention.

In the drawings.:

Fig. l is a plan of a grader'r embodying our invention. r n

Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe rear portion of Fig. 1taken on line A-A, with the rear wheel omitted. n V y f Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of Fig. l clearly `showing the method employed to lean the wheels,` also showing the counter-balancing fsprings which assist and control this function.

Fig. t is a plan in detail, clearly showing the wheel-tilting mechanism shown assembledkin Fig. l.' 'i i Fig. 5 is a right side elevation of the rear L.

of Fig. l. i y

Fig. 6 is a plan of Fig. 3 taken` on line B-B with a portion ofthe axle bars brolreiiaway. f l Fig. 7 is a plan ofanothermethod of applying our invention to a graderv frame.

Fig.v 8 is arear, sectional elevation of Fig. 7, taken on line C-G with the blade shown in full.

The drawings show a conventional form of grading machine, `forward supporting wheels l0 and rear wheels 12,a`main frame 14, and blade, `or moldboard as it is sometimes called, 16, operatively attached to and pulled by the frame by means ofthe circle 18, goosciieck bars r2O, and casting 22, which is universally pivoted to the 'forward end of the frame inv any conventional manner permitting both lateral'and vertical swing- `ing of the blade and floating parts associated therewith. Y

'lheforwaid end of the frame let is pivoted to, and carried on, the axle 24, and the rear end kis shiftably supported onthebars 2G (clearly shown in Figures 2, 8 and 6) secured together by any suitable rmeanssuch as bolts 28, forming an axle, at the ends of which are provided holes 30 (see Fig, 6) in which are ,piv'oted the ltrunnions 32,-said trunnions being formed on either side of the spindle casting 34. Each of thefspiiidle castings 34 has, in addition to the normally horizontal spindle upon which the wheel is mounted, an upwardly extending arm 36 on the end of which is-pivotally'secured the spacer bar 38 for the purpose of holding the arnisf86 always in ay parallel position.

Rotatively mounted on frame lli are the i lifting cranks Gand 4l, supported atl their llt) forward ends lby the bar `42 and at their lrear ends by the posts 44 and 45 respectively (shown in Fig. 1).

Rigidly secured to the' rearend of each y is the Worm gear 46 meshing With the Worin 48 secured to shaft 50, and on the inner ends yof the shafts 50, are rigidly securedvthe lifting Wheels 52.

Pivotally secured to the crank ends of the shafts and 41 are lifting rods 54, the lower ends of Which are-connected, also pivotally, to ci'ossbars 56, said bars being a rigid part of the gooseneck frame by virtue of the bolts 58 passing through the bars 20. It will therefore be understood that manipula-` tion of the hand Wheels 52 Will either lovverv or raise the blade by lowering or raising vthe gooseneck frame to vWhich it is connected and that because of the pivotal attachment of cast-ing 22 to the frame 14 it is possible, .by moving the Wheels 52 separately to change the elevation of either end of the blade independent of the other.'

Hinged, Ifor vertical movement, to the rear ends of the bars 20 isa yoke 60, slidably mounted on the socket member 62 (see Figthe rod 68, slidably and rotatively mountedv in the frame as shown invFig. 4 at 70 and on one end of Which issu'itably mounted ures 1 and 2) to the `rear end of Which is .universally pivotedthe adjusting bracket 64 slidably mounted on the bar 66, said bar be- ,ing securelyfstened to the main frame 14 j in any suitable manner.

'Threaded in the adjustingy bracket'64 is means to cause its rotation, as a pair of ygears as shown at 72 and 73 carried in theI bracket v,74 and provided With a rotatable shaft 76, having a crank 78 or other suitable means ofk rotation. The shaft 76, however, is adapted to permit a limited amount of vlateral movement of the shaft 68ivithout the impairment of function.

by the crank 76 at all times withoutinter-y fering with the mesh of'80 and 8 Attached to 84 on the opposite side of the pivot' 86 is the arm 88 and pivotedly attaclied thereto is one end of the connecting Y rod 90, the opposite end of Which is povotally connected to the'spacer bar 38.

Referring to Fig. 2, between the angle bars 26 is slidably mounted in thebrackets 92 the shaft 94, having rigidly secured there-o on the casting 96 With an upivardlyextend- -104 being retained in ingv ear '98 to ivhich onevend `of the rod 100 is pivotcd, the other end of this rod being pivotally attached tothe spacer bar 438.

Loosely mounted on the shaft 94 on either side of the casting 96V are the `contractible 26 by any With rivets.

It will be understood from that the blade 16 is movable vertically, lat either end or both, by the manipulation of the hand Wheels 52'and' that bythe rotation of the shaft 76 by means of the handle 78 suitable means, as, for instance,

the threadedshaft `68, by virtue of the internally threaded bracket 64 Willivhen turned,

cause 62, together With 60, to move in either direction across the frame carrying with itl the foregoing ,f

springs v102 the outer ends of eachv pressing against 92 which are secured ,to the axle 4bars the rear endsv of the bars 20, operatively at-V f tach'ed to Which is the blade 16. The blade si;

16 is mounted for rotation about they pi'vot yany selected position by the pin 106, being placed in one of the holes 108, the pin 106 being held in the proper relation to the bars by the bracket@ Itivill also be understoodthat any lateral moveinentof the blade, because of itsv connection through the barsi20, theyoke 60, vthe socket casting 62 and the bracket 64, will 1,:

cause a similar lateral movement, in fact aI greater movement of the shaft 68 carrying lWith it the member Which lby meshing with the segment84, causes movement of the rod in the opposite direction. rlhe rod 90 fifi.

being connected to the spacer bar`38'tra`ns- `fersthits lateral movementl causing 'the ro-` tation of casting 34 about the pivot 32 and tilts the spindles. i

f `Att-ached tol the rear of one of the angle bars `26 is a gear rack '112' in mesh With the pinionrl14 lsecured on the shaft 116 having, upon its upper end',xmeans for rotatingit, as, for instance, the Wheel 118. Slidable vertically, in the frame, but otherwise secured in any-suitablemanner, and adjacent the pinion 114, is a rod 120 having its lower end formed to engagethe teeth in the pinion 114, to prevent lits rotation and having attaehedt-o its upper end .the `foot-.pad 122 beneath which isa contractible'spring 124 resting upon `the upper side of the platform 126. By firstdepressing the rod 120, causing its disengagement vfrom the pinion 114 the 'rotation of the Wheel .118`turns the pinion 114 Whichmoves the rack 112and therefor, the entire rear axle, in a lateral direction rel` lative to theyframe, it being understood that iis the connecting rod 90 is vfirst disconnected from thespacer bar 38 and later adjusted to anyof the holes 128 (Fig.` 1), suitable to the changed position. l K i lt is' readily apparent from the immediate foregoing disclosure that` should vit be de sired to cause the Wheels 12 to assume anab-A 1 do we desire to be normal angle relative to the vertical, as for instance in deep ditch work, the rod 90 may be moved to one of the holes (128) in the bar 38, producing the wheel `inclination de siredfwithout effectingitheir .co-action with the moldboard, when vin operation. Neither limited to the enact inetli od of adjustment shown for this purpose, as obviously any easily shiftable means may be usedto connect the part 38 and 90,- or, the member 90 itself'` may be telescopicy and the purpose accomplished. i c .n

In controlling the lateral movement of a grader blade relative to tlie frame, it is generally conceded that there are twodistinetl points of attachment for the connecting mechanism, `each having certain advantages over the other, for instance, if ease of Voperation is desired, the gooseneck members 2O are controlledffrom their extreme rear, but at this point much more inovemeiitV is necessary to gain aspecified lateral movement at the blade' rcenter l104, than is .necessary when the control means is attached approximately form of our invention adapted to a graderv the knowledge that in line with the center of the blade circle 1.8. It should also on theblade caused by the movement of ma terial will be much more severe in the latter ease, but less movement required of 'the mechanism` (than in the former. case) to move the blade the same distance and we have therefore, inFigures 7 and 8, shown a ofthe lat-ter class with in certain sizes a greater thrust is necessary to lean t-he wheels than is practical with the former type. v p f v In graders `of the latter typet is common prac-tice to attach to the framel a laterally movable bar, similar to 130 (Figures 7 and4 y 8) having riveted to l actuated by a worm rotatedvby the gears its side the rack 132 134, which in'. turn is 136 and 137, the shaft 138 and hand wheel 140, it being understood thattlie worm 134 has able bearings. y

' In applying our invention to this common finechanism we securethe worm v134 to the Ishaft `142v which is adapted Vto .move endwise iii either-direction when required to the llimit .of the springs 144 loosely mounted each having" an end against' the .worin hub 134 and an end against a suitable stationary thereon,

.of the presence of thevsprings 144, any severe lateral thrust against the blade causes lateral movement of `the lrackyand worin through the medium of the rod 148,as shown in Fig. 8, the springs 144 tending to return `with common graders,

be noted that any side strain ftiltable by power means.

always, heretofore, vbeen held against lateral movement by suit- -of ourinvention, weare aware theworin and shaft to a central position v` of the bent ends of the gooseneclr bars 20A, also serving in this type of grader as a supporting means for the center 104.

From the foregoing description of both adaptations of our invention it will be seen that instead of rigidly retaining the blade in any selected lateral position, as is'usua'l our blade is allowed to shift, to a limited extent, by the force of the material acting against its face in ythe di rection of the arrows 162, this force is the result of the. draft of the tractor or vother propelling that in this sense, our blade is shiftable by power derived from the draft of the tractor limits) and vice versa, .without the4 attention means 'it follows l Fig. 1, and as b throughthe connecting cable and also automatic in its action,

of the operator, and that also in both cases `the springs 102 and 144 automatically tend n to their normal positions, both the to return, blade andwheels.

`For the reasons and inthe sense stated above, we are claiming wheels automatically It is of course apparent that in so far as the lateral hand adjus'tinent is concerned our machine has all the `capabilities found in either type and understood, too.y that a portion of the shifting` means, as for instance, 64 aiid68, lare shiftable by powerin any position selected by the actuation of the hand operated means 76 and 78 and it is with these facts in mind that certain of the following claims are drawn to claim, shifting means adapted to be actuated by both power and hand operN ated means. I

)Nlule we have considerable detail two specific embodiments may be other ways of yaccomplishing the i'evsult, we claim, but itisto be understood that wedo not limit ourselves to the details of construction shown, except insofar as we have included such limitations within the shown and descrilfied in;

4that there terms of the following claims in which it is our intentionto claim all novelty inherent in it as broadly tas is possible rin view of the prior art. l'

f VVha't we claim as newA anddesire to secure by Letters Pat-ent is: y

1. A. road grader in combination, a main Athe main frame and means operatively con` necting the moldboard and Wheels' causing simultaneous.co-action thereof.

3. A road grader in combinatioinamain frame, a laterally shiftable moldboaid beneath theA frame and carried thereby, a'tiltable carrying wheel supporting the frame and means, operatively connecting the mold'- board and said Wheel, adapted to cause" simultaneous movement thereof, foi the purpose set forth.

4. A road grader in combination, va main frame, supporting Wheels therefor, a rotatable and laterally shiftable moldboard beneath the fraine,"and carried thereby andvr means, operatively connecting the moldboard and some of said Wheels, whereby ylateral movement of said moldboard causes a tilting of supporting 'Wheels y l 5. A road grader in combination, a 'main frame, supporting Wheels therefor, a diagonally disposed, laterally shiftable moldboard beneath the frame and carried thereby and means operatively connecting the moldboardy with some of saidwheels whereby lateral movement of the nioldbo'ard in lone direction causes a tilting of the supporting wheels in the opposite direction, for the vpurpose set forth.

6. A road grader, in combination, ya main frame and a road engaging element, adaptedk for the lateral movement offinaterial, and connected to the frame and supported there'- by, vmeans controlling the lateral movement of said element,'and connected to the supporting Wheels in a manner'causing the automatic tilting thereof When said element isl l i elementV adapted to bev moved flaterallyf a predetermined distance, `/When in an opera.-. tive position, by ,power derived from :the` draft means, a tiltable pairof Wheels in the moved laterally. y 1

7. A road grader, incombination a main frame, a moldboard, 'connected to and supported by said frame, and adapted to move f material laterally, tiltable Wheels supporting the frame, means attached to the frame, con'-` trolling the positions both of the moldboard With reference to the machine center and of the Wheels'witli reference to a vertical plane, said means co-operating to cause a reverse movement of one relative other. l y

8. A road grader, in combination, a main frame mounted on tiltable supporting Wheels, an earth moving element, engaging the road` surface, adapted for the lateralv movement of material beneath the frame, and automatically acting mechanism connecting said element with some of the Wheels to resist the thrust caused by the lateral movement to the of lmaterial against said element, fof. the purpose set forth. w

ing a diagonally disposed, laterally shiftable blade, tiltable rWheels supporting `vand *controlling said'blade, and devices, secured interposed rfranie work, adapted to permit v 9. lIn combination, 'aioad grader comprisboth manual,` and automatic shifting of the Y' blade for the purpose set, forth.'

10.111 combination, a'road grader comf pri'si'ng va laterally shiftable moldboard f Y adapted to autoi'natically shiftits'positin .in proportion to' the'r side thrust thereon, 1 spring devices adaptedtoi'esist saidshif'ting and tiltable Wheels sup'poi'tingthe moldboard and controlled by vsaid vspring devices for the pui-pose set'fortli.

prising ain'ain frame,` a moldboard `and tiltvset forth.

l2, In combination, a road grader coi`n-' prising a main frame, moldboard, 'automatically shiftable in a' lateralJ direction, tiltable supporting Wheels and spring cushl1. In combination, a road grader comion devices adaptedto resist and control the shifting of said moldboard, substantially 'y as shown. l p f 13. In combination,A a road grader `coin- 1 prising a main' frame7 va ground engaging element adapted to'be moved laterally 'a'.

predetermined distance When in an 'operative position, va tiltable lpair of Wheelsfin the rear of said zelement, means for-simultane- L ously tilting said Wlieels Withthe' lateral f vmovement `of said element and automatically Vacting means returningthe .Wheels :to

a vertical position when the said element is in an inoperative position, for the purpose set forth. f

14. In combi-nation, a road graden-,comprising a mainframe, a ground engaging rear of said element, `means for simultaneously tilting said Wheelswith the lateral movement of said elementy and automatically acting means returning thefwhe'els to` a vertical y position when rthe said element isin van .in-4

operative position for. the ypurpose set forth.r y 15. In combination, a road grader comprising a main frame,

supporting-Wheels, a f

linoldboard and' moldboard lateral adjust- Y' `ment means, a portion of said means adapt- 16. In combinationv aroad grader comprising a main' frame,` supporting Wheels therefor,` a late-rally shiftable moldboard,

moldboai'd shifting means, shittable a predetermined distance relative to the main .frame ,and mechanism operatively connectpendent vof each other, and mechanism operatively connecting` said shifting member with the rear supportingA Wheelsr substantially as shown and described..

18..In a road grader in combination, a `main frame, a moldboard vertically and laterally movable relative to and carried by said frame, front .and rear Wheels supporting the frame and shiftable inoldboard shii'ti.

ing means, inthe rear of the moldboard, adaptedto be lactuated bythe side thrust on said moldboard and also by hand operated means, for the purpose set forth.

Y 1.9. In a road grader, in combination a main frame, va inoldboard vertically and lat.

VarallyliinovableA relative ,to theI trame, front and rear supporting Wheels, some of Which `are tiltable, and shiftable moldboard adjusting means adapted to be, actuated by hand means, When the blade is in one position, and by pressure .against the `moldboard when it is in another position said means being operatively connected to tilt one of the support-ing Wheelsfor the purpose setv forth.

In ajroad grader, in combination, a main frame, and alaterally shittable moldboard, an axle supporting the frame, support-ing Wheel spindles, provided With upwardly extending arms, pivoted to the ends of the aXle,Wheels rotatively mounted on the spindles, a bary connectingk the free ends of the arins and mechanism `adapted to auto-y matically move said-bar, laterally in onel din rection, Without attention from the operator,

for the purpose set forth.

2l. In a road grader in combination, tilt' :able supporting Wheels, a main rame,a maground engaging element, and

terial moving, K pressure actuated means for tilting said Wheels, saidV means connecting said element and Wheels in a manner causing simultariframe,

neous coaction, substantially as shown and described. v j

22. In a road grader, in combination, a

Wheels supporting the iframe, a moldboard carried by the frame and adaptedto be'sliifted laterally, and ciisliionkmeans re sisting the lateral shifting of said moldsI board. j Z n 23. A' road grader in combinatioma moldboard, a mainL frame supportingthe moldboard, tiltable 'carrying Wheels .supporting the main ytrame, and mechanism operatively y yconnecting the inoldboard and r*Wheels caus-. ing simultaneous cofaction thereof; said v mechanism adapted to be manually adjusted to change the relative position of the moldboard and Wheels. 1

24.-. In combination, a road grader comprising an earth moving element, tiltable ground engaging Wheels resisting said element, and devices `operatively connecting said Wheels and element,.adapted toA permitu bothmaniial and automatic tilting of, .said j 25. In a roadgrader in combination a-` Vframe, constantly parallel tilt-able ivlieels supporting the traine, an earth'moving elef ment Working in conjunction With the frame,

and cushion means to assistand stabilize the Wheel tiltingioperation.

26. aA road grader in combination, a

frame, an earth moving element'ivorkingy in conjunction With the frame, constantly parallel, vertically tiltable Wheels,gsupporting the :traine and element, mechanism for tilting the Wheels and cushion means in the them to an upright position.

27. In aroad grader in combination, av frame, an axle, `constantly parallel tiltabley Wheels supporting the frame .and axle, an

Wheel tilting mechanism adapted to stabilize the tilting thereofand assist in returning earth `moving element Working in conjuncytion With the' frame, and cushion meansy to' assist and stabilize the Wheel .tilting operation, said cushion means being partly comprised of a coiled spring one end ofwhich i is held against an abutment normally stationary with saidl axle and the other vvend of Which is held against an abutment movable When the Wheels are tilted.

' HORACE R. vWiLsoN.

`anni) n. WiLsoN. 

